<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0LQgHE_174vMi2W00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LQgHE_174vMi2W00" width="1663" height="1246" ></figure>With recent announcements of business closures both locally and county-wide, some Gothenburg residents have no doubt become concerned about how these developments will impact our community. The Gothenburg Improvement Company is poised to do whatever they can to alleviate some of those concerns and make sure our town remains a growing, thriving place to live and work.On Nov. 12, the members of GIC gathered for an annual meeting to update local stockholders on what has transpired in the last year. During that meeting, JWC Gburg co-founder Josh Westling presented an update on plans for the new liquid fertilizer facility coming to Gothenburg, and housing coordinator Robyn Geiser spoke about how that issue is being addressed locally.Prior to hearing from those presenters, two board members who are leaving the board were thanked for their years of service. Luke Rickertsen has been a stockholder since 2002 and a board member since 2011, and Amber Burge, who has been a stockholder since 2005 and board member since 2007. Both have chosen not to seek re-election to the board. The two members up for re-election were Will Rahjes and Andy Jobman, and both were retained.Once the business portion of the meeting was concluded, those in attendance heard from Robyn Geiser, who serves both the Cozad and Gothenburg communities through a partnership. She shared that this year, the final three housing units were added in the Crossing subdivision. She said those three houses have been sold, and there are three homes remaining for sale.“GIC’s investment in housing has translated into tangible economic benefits as well,” said Geiser. “The overall property tax valuation increase over the three years of our 23 housing projects is over $6 million,” Geiser shared. “As we look ahead our focus will be clear to grow our community thoughtfully and continue to work with developers and our city officials to ensure we have balance, affordability, and accessibility for housing.”She said the GIC currently has two lots available on Avenue M. “Our other goal for the coming year will be to develop a purchase, rehab, resale program. We are in the process of identifying properties that aren’t meeting their current potential,” Geiser explained. “We’ll make significant investments and improvements to those properties. Housing is a foundation of a thriving community. I’m proud of the progress we have made, but we know we are not done. Together we are building more than homes - we are building the future of Gothenburg.”The next topic of discussion was the Meadowlark Project with an update from Josh Westling. He said the biggest change to the project since its original announcement of coming to Gothenburg is that the fuel source has been shifted to natural gas. “Technically, it’s still green, but it’s just not being made with renewable electricity and a bunch of water,” he explained. “That is what we have spent the last year or so changing, modifying and engineering to be able to work with this project. The quantities are still the same, and after it’s made after the hydrogen part is all the same. The good news is that most of what we did from an engineering standpoint remains the same.”Westling said the cost for the project remains in about the $850-900 million range. One of the biggest questions on the minds of those in attendance was, “When are you going to break ground?” Westling responded that the ground should have and would have already been broken; however, a beetle was discovered that requires the federal government to sign off on for work to continue. The burying beetle is a protected species, and GIC board member Mike Bacon noted that the insect was responsible for stopping progress on the construction of an ethanol plant about three decades ago. As soon as the government gives them the green light work will begin.Once the dirtwork is done, the construction of the facility will take about 30 months. The company being used is the same one that built the Frito Lay plant, so they are familiar with the terrain and challenges of that location. The new plant will employ about 50 people when fully operational, which will run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.Westling noted that during the 30-month construction process, the number of people coming into Gothenburg will fluctuate, with the average number over the course of the project at about 500. How to accommodate those short-term residents of the community could be a challenge, but plans are being made to try to address that. Westling said that many travel with trailers and fifth-wheels due to the nature of their jobs.Both trucks and rail will be used to transport product from the facility, with an anticipated average of 36 trucks per day coming and going. Project Meadowlark to produce 350,000 tons of Urea Ammonium Nitrate (UAN), 146,000 tons of Ammonium ThioSulphate (ATS), and 50 million gallons of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) each year.</div></body>

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With recent announcements of business closures both locally and county-wide, some Gothenburg residents have no doubt become concerned about how these developments will impact our community. The Gothenburg Improvement Company is poised to do whatever they can to alleviate some of those concerns and make sure our town remains a growing, thriving place to live and work.

Protected Beetle Slows Fertilizer Plant Progress

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With recent announcements of business closures both locally and county-wide, some Gothenburg residents have no doubt become concerned about how these devel

Protected Beetle Slows Fertilizer Plant Progress

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